Chavez-Razzano, Ashla

    Hi! My name is Ashla Chavez-Razzano. My preferred names are Ashla or Ash, and preferred pronouns are she/her. I am a junior transfer student from Santa Monica College majoring in Art History, and I’m very excited to take this course for many reasons: I have never studied art that is specific to my ethnic heritage (aside from one course on the ancient Americas), nor have I been able to study contemporary political movements and their relationship with visual media. By the end of the quarter, I hope to gain a better understanding of Chicane identity and the development of art forms as protest and vehicle for self-determination.

    I was born and raised in Venice, California, on the west side of LA, and have always felt a strong connection to my home: I am a surfer, roller skater, and love to go on bike rides in the neighborhood. I DJ on a local radio station KTPC at 99.1FM, which is broadcasted only in Venice (tune in if you’re around, and look out for DJ Fiver!). As an artist, I am mainly a musician and play in three different musical projects that range in genre from doom-gaze (doom metal inspired by shoe-gaze), grunge, punk, ambient soundscapes, and traditional singer-songwriter acoustic music. I love to paint, illustrate, collage, and write poetry, and was a finalist in the LA Youth Poet Laureate competition in 2019. Much of my creativity and love for art stems from my fascination with the use of symbols, especially those which can be found across different peoples and cultures. I love plants and animals, too.

    The assigned reading this week, ¡Printing the Revolution! by E. Carmen Ramos, reminded me of my time volunteering at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California. During my time at MoLAA, the main exhibit was about the power of zines in the Latine community, and the influence the art form had as a method of protest. It took a new medium of visual art to communicate a new era of politics and social awakenings that occurred in the twentieth century, and symbolized a shift in identity for many marginalized Chicanes in America. Something I took note of was the inclusive process of zine-making and print, one that spoke directly to audiences and was created by entire communities of artists, writers, and activists. As Ramos describes, “Chicanx artists and their collaborators have capitalized on these tools and ways of working to reach audiences in innovative ways.” Though two dimensional in form, the artwork produced during this time was much more; it was a call to arms and symbol of unity both in message and method of production. I am excited to explore these mediums in depth, and their engagement with readers across decades.

    Nice to meet you all!